Snow Angel
by EagleStrike1
Summary: Evie's stubbornness is only matched by her desire to protect her loved ones. She might be the wiser twin, but she still has her shortcomings. What will it take for her to realize that her pride is just as dangerous as Jacob's arrogance? What is it about Lucy Thorne that makes her feel so... strange? So much to figure out and so little time.
1. The cold

**Please forgive me for any geographical inaccuracies that may occur. I'm not English or Welsh ;)**

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The cold, harsh climate of the Welsh mountains bit into Evie's skin. She wrapped the heavy cloak around herself more tightly to no avail. The wind was howling in her ears as she struggled through the deserted land. The snow was thickly laid and her boots slipped and sunk constantly. She had been trekking through the snow for hours now. On top of that, the backpack she carried was slowing her progress. The pale evening sun was about to set and Evie knew the mountains were dangerous during nights. Wolves and snow leopards made their homes in these lands and the blasts of icy winds alone could kill a person without shelter.

Luck was on her side, Evie found a small cove that was sheltered from the wind. A rivulet flowed a few meters from the cove entrance and the old bones and banana peels made it obvious that this cove had been used before by men seeking shelter. She gathered some dry branches and started a small fire. It took only a few tries before Evie caught a fairly large salmon which she roasted over the fire. Wary of bandits and wild animals, she tied a string to two posts and strung about small scraps of metal on the string. The enclosed cove magnified even the tiniest sounds. If the string was tripped, the metal scraps would clink together and sound an alarm. She reached into her backpack and laid out a thick fur mat on the floor and covered herself with a fur blanket. With her belly full and a dying fire to keep her warm, Evie fell to a light and troubled sleep.

She awoke the next morning to loud noises. It took her mere seconds to reach from a state of sleep to battle ready. Such was the training of an assassin of her skill. Carefully, she peered out of the cove and listened for the source of the disturbance. It was a caravan passing through the mountains. She checked her weapons and packed her sleeping gear and carefully made her way to the caravan. Two armed men were driving it. They wore heavy cloaks and a cape. On the cape was a logo. It was a silver dagger with a bloodied handle.

 _So these are the Silver-Bloods_.

Two months ago, the Assassin spy network had intercepted a letter on a Templar courier. It had instructions from a mysterious benefactor and proof of payments made to a Mercenary faction named the Silver-Bloods. The letter hadn't revealed much, except that the Silver-Bloods were to provide their services to a group of historians, archeologists and miners that the Templars had sent on an operation in the Welsh mountains. Since the assassination of Crawford Starrick, the Assassins of London had been keeping a close eye for any Templar activity inside England or near her territories. The Templars had all been wiped out of London and Jacob and Evie wanted to use this momentum to drive the Templars away from England for good. Immediately after the letter had been interpreted, Jacob had wanted to travel to Wales. However it was George Westhouse who had volunteered for a reconnaissance mission. Evie and Jacob had both voiced their concerns to George that he was getting old for such a dangerous mission. George had laughed off their concerns and after promising to write as quickly as he could, he had left for Wales. It had been three weeks since George's last letter. The last time he wrote, George had mentioned a small fishing village at the foot of the mountains that the Silver-Bloods were stationed in. He wrote that the path to the village was heavily guarded and that it was almost impossible to determine what the Templars were searching for.

Evie was worried that the Silver-Bloods had captured George. After losing their father, George was the closest thing they had to a guardian and Evie would not let him suffer under the Templars. Keeping low, Evie followed the caravan as it made its descent towards a makeshift road down the mountain. The drivers made small talk and made boring remarks about the weather. But to Evie, who was always perceptive and resourceful, their conversation gave her plenty of useful information.

She now knew how the weather changed in these parts and when snow storms were most likely to hit. She knew how often the caravans brought supplies and which roads were usually overrun with bandits. _Jacob would just have killed these men and proceeded towards the village blindly_. The thought brought a grin to her face and she realized how stiff her facial muscles had become due to the cold. She followed the caravan for the better part of the morning and stopped when she spotted the village from afar. She debated about entering the village and decided not to. Until she knew how closely the Silver-Bloods monitored the village, she would not risk exposing herself. So she waited for a few hours. Just like the men in the caravan had predicted, a snow storm began at around 4 in the evening. Using the heavy storm as cover, Evie approached the edge of the village. She layed low and took shelter at a clump of bushes and fished out her spy-glass.

 _These are no ordinary mercenaries._ The men were still actively patrolling the streets, braving the heavy snow without complaint. She noticed that they had built small watch posts on every turn. The small roads were always covered by the watch posts when the patrols weren't. They had powerful rifles strung on their shoulders and revolvers on their belt buckles. For practicality, they even carried swords and cutlasses, which she knew were in case the snow dampened the gunpowder and the mercenaries had to engage in melee combat. The men were powerfully built and Evie knew that despite their size, they could move like dancers. These weren't London thugs who relied on savagery and brute force. These were battle-hardened soldiers who had had years of training and experience. The men carried out regular patrols and walked in tight formations. Evie knew that she couldn't take on all these men in direct combat. She would have to careful while infiltrating their main camp. A large makeshift wooden house had been built along the edges of the small, frozen pond. It must have been recently made since part of the roof was covered by a tarp. The walls were compact and the little holes had been stuffed with fur and twigs. The house itself was like a large hall. It could easily accommodate 20 men. Carefully, Evie drew out a small piece of paper and began sketching a rough map of the village. She marked the guard posts and the patrol routes. She would return later tonight and look for clues about George.

With her approach planned out, Evie hiked back up. She found a small cave up in the mountains and proceeded to apply the measures she had taken the night before. She would sleep for a couple hours and enter the village at night. There would be no moon tonight and she would sneak through the patrols. With this thought in her mind she fell asleep.

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 **So? What do you think? In case you are wondering, the action starts pretty early so stick around and follow and leave reviews. Cheers!**


	2. A stab in the dark

The snow storm had diminished to a light drizzle. Evie descended the cliffs in slow, controlled steps. The patrols had been eased up and only a few soldiers walked the rounds while the others sat around fires. Torches were burning brightly on the guard posts but Evie noticed with relief that there were still plenty of areas that were covered in shadows. Darkness was her greatest ally and once she blended into the shadows she moved like a wraith. She circled around most of the guard posts. Taking care to stick to cover, Evie sneaked through the campfire and entered the house the men had setup. A quick count revealed that there were 15 mercenaries inside the house. They were all in heavy sleep and Evie quietly threaded through the bunk beds and sleeping mats to approach a table at the far end of the house. Various documents were strewn across the table and Evie started to look for anything that might point her to George's whereabouts.

Her disappointment grew with each new document she read. There was nothing about George in them. A small creak sounded behind her and she reacted on pure instinct as she rolled over to her side and quickly crawled under to the closest bed. Holding her breath, she waited for what seemed like an hour. Finally she decided that the sound was most likely created by a rickety bed. Carefully, she crawled out and exited the house via the front door. The mercenaries outside were still huddled around the fire. She eavesdropped on the men as they talked about their various adventures.

The night was getting darker and she finally decided that she wasn't about to get anything useful out of these men. She was heading back to her camp when she heard the sound of a horse carriage approaching the village. _Who would be visiting this place in the middle of the night?_ Evie didn't have to wait for long to find out. The carriage stopped beside the makeshift house and out came the familiar figure of Lucy Thorne. Something strange rushed inside Evie and she watched carefully as Thorne made her way to the Silver-Blood captain. It had been two years since Evie had encountered her inside the Tower of London. Lucy Thorne was the only one to have survived an assassination attempt made by Evie. Her attention was drawn back to the Silver-Blood captain who bowed to Thorne and began a conversation with her.

"Welcome Miss Thorne! I hope your journey wasn't too uncomfortable."

Thorne wasn't going to bother with courtesies. Evie knew that the older woman tended to get straight down to business. With her head held high, she replied in a haughty tone.

"No it wasn't. Now skip the niceties and give me the latest news."

The captain was taken aback by the boldness of the woman in front of him. He didn't bow this time and in a rather serious tone,

"Nothing much to report, to be honest. Your men have been working round the clock and my men make sure they get proper food and water supplies down the mine. A couple of wolves have strolled by and attempted to attack the locals but my men have kept the larger packs off the village. There aren't too many bandits around these parts and we've had quiet days for a while now."

"And the Assassin? Where is he?" Evie drew in a sharp breath as her fears were confirmed. George was indeed a captive. And now the Templars had him under their mercy. Who knew what they would do to him. She would break him out tonight.

Thorne gave further instructions to the captain and got back on her carriage. Evie would follow her. Surely an Assassin demanded immediate attention. The carriage drove at breakneck speed down the road and Evie soon lost them despite her best efforts. Luckily, there were tracks for her to follow. Ignoring the pain and exhaustion, Evie ran through the deserted roads, any ideas of a stealthy tail ignored as her heart raced. The road itself was covered with snow and trees on both sides. Occasionally she would see a cottage or some inn at the roadside but she didn't stop. For nearly 15 minutes, Evie ran until the carriage tracks took a sharp turn near a clearing. The carriage was parked outside an abandoned church of sorts. A single guard stood by the entrance and several others were huddled beside the carriage. Sticking to thick clumps of bush, Evie passed by the men around the carriage unnoticed. She pulled a throwing knife from her robes and took careful aim. With deadly accuracy, the knife connected to the guard's skull and lodged itself firmly. Quickly, Evie ran up to the crumpling body and caught it before it fell to the ground. She pulled the body around the side and entered the church warily. The place was close to collapse. The floors were rotted and the ceiling was barely standing. The hall was deserted but a light shone at the back.

Voices could be heard from behind the barely hanging doorway. Evie stopped to listen.

"-assure you that you will spend the rest of your days being tortured and abused. Unless you tell me how many of you are here of course." Thorne's voice was deadly calm.

A small chuckle came from the room and Evie's heart lifted as she recognized the man who had made that noise.

"I've spent almost 30 years operating in England. I've heard that particular threat over a thousand times Miss Thorne. You'll have to try a lot harder to come even remotely close to making me feel slightly intimidated."

"Our methods have become more refined in the past 30 years. I can assure, while you were hiding away in your hideout, we've been experimenting with the human anatomy. You would be surprised to see some of the more advanced methods we use to make it hurt." George didn't reply. He might have if it hadn't been for a guard that entered the church threshold just then.

He spotted Evie beside the door on the back and yelled out loud as he tried to draw his revolver. His hand was halfway to his gun when Evie fired hers. The bullet caught him in the chest and the man was flung back by the force of impact. A commotion followed as two men rushed out of the back. Evie snapped out her hidden blades and drove her left blade in the throat of one while the other ducked her jab. He pulled out a knife from his boots and swiped at her flank. Side-stepping, she punched the man's throat. He dropped the knife and clutched his windpipe. Evie kicked him squarely in the chest and the man crashed on the hanging door. The door fell apart and the man was knocked out. Men were now entering through the church threshold. Some of them had their rifles drawn while some had drawn out short swords. Evie ducked behind the seats as bullets hit the wall behind her. Lucy Thorne was shouting something but the racket made it impossible to understand what she meant.

Evie returned fire and two men fell, wounded or dead. One more rifleman remained while two guards were running towards her, short swords drawn. She flew out of cover and engaged the two men. Whirling left and right as the two men charged at her with balanced steps. She caught off a straight blow with her hidden blade bracer and the man staggered. She seized this opportunity to close the gap between them. The man had barely raised his blade when she drove her hidden blade under his raised left arm. Grabbing a fistful of his clothes, Evie jerked the guard in front of her just as the rifleman fired. She dropped the human shield and deflected a precarious jab the second man threw at her. _These men are tough._ The rifleman fired another shot and it missed Evie by inches. The swordsman thrust his short-sword at her and Evie dodged it. Using her momentum, she rolled towards the guard and thrust her blade deep into his abdomen, mid-roll. The guard dropped the sword and clutched his stomach. She swerved around his hunched figure and dispatched him with another stab, this time into his back. The rifleman fired but Evie reacted quickly. She threw another knife at him and it pierced his right arm. He dropped the rifle in pain and clutched the wound. Evie used this distraction to run straight at him. Triggering the hidden blade mechanism, she pounced on him. The Silver-Blood offered next to no resistance as she drove the hidden blade into his jugular.

Evie straightened her robes and stood quiet, waiting for Lucy Thorne to inquire. Half a dozen men lay dead and Evie knew that Thorne wouldn't risk an encounter with her again.

Their last encounter had been at the Tower of London. She still remembered that night like it was yesterday. Evie had killed Thorne's henchmen and punctured her shoulder with a dagger. She had had Thorne at her mercy. She was about to deliver the killing blow when she got distracted. There she was, Lucy Thorne, Starrick's most trusted lieutenant and Evie had been distracted by her….her chest. Lucy was on her knees and her breasts were heaving in a hypnotic rhythm. For a split second, Evie was hypnotized, her unsheathed hidden blade hanging in midair as she noticed the older woman's beauty for the first time. Soft, pouty lips, strong cheek bones and a gorgeous face. A second was all she had taken and that momentary hesitation was all Thorne needed. She'd shoved Evie aside and jumped out of the window, landing on a pile of bushes below. Ashamed of her failure, Evie had lied and told Jacob that Thorne simply got away. Some conflicting emotions had risen inside her for a while and it had taken quite a while before Evie had dismissed it as a lapse of judgement and temptation.

The memory of that night burned through Evie's memory and she vowed that she would not make such mistakes again.

"Anyone there? Tell me what's happening right now!" Thorne's voice rang through the church.

Evie remained quiet as she slid out of the church and sneaked quietly behind the back. A part of the roof had fallen in. She climbed to the roof and jumped, landing lightly on her feet. She was inside a dark room and Thorne was in the other room with George. Thorne was most probably alone now or else she would have sent another one of the men to check her surroundings. With no option left, Evie snapped out her hidden blade and kicked the door. It door swung open and Evie saw Thorne just beyond the door, a revolver in her left hand. She turned to face Evie but Evie was too fast, she ran straight at her and pounced on her like a tiger pounces on its prey. Thorne fell clumsily and Evie made sure the wicked edge of her hidden blade stayed just above Thorne's throat. She looked around and spotted George in a corner of the room, bound and gagged. Thorne glared at her and Evie threw her a feral grin.

"Looks like you're at my mercy Miss Thorne." To Evie's surprise, she looked at her with a smug expression and replied, "No, I believe it's the other way around." And then Thorne twisted her right hand. Pain flared inside Evie as she felt a dagger in her stomach. She had been careless. Thorne had a knife in her right hand and Evie hadn't noticed. She had been so intent on the kill that she hadn't planned the approach. Thorne wrenched free of the Hidden Blade and shoved Evie to the side. She got up slowly and dusted off her clothes.

"Well, Miss Frye. I believe I owe you a proper welcome to Wales." And then she kicked Evie in the face.

Blackness surrounded Evie and she felt her consciousness ebb away.


	3. Don't leave me hanging

**Warning! Contains Mild Sexual themes.**

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Her vision blurred as she pulled off the colossal effort of opening her eyes. Her head felt as if it were about to spilt open and she dangled on the prospect of unconsciousness. She was hanging upside down, her hands bound behind her back. She had been stripped to her garments, her beloved robes lying in a bundle on top of a table beside her. The stab wound wasn't deep, it hurt a little but it was merely a flesh wound. Her weapons were not even in the room and she started swinging her head from side to side, hoping to find some sort of weapon. There were none, just like she had expected. Lucy Thorne knew exactly who she was and what she was capable of.

Realizing that escape was not an option, Evie began to observe her surroundings. The room was extremely small and dingy. Filthy curtains hung to the windows and the faint light behind them told Evie that it was most likely dusk.

 _How long was I unconscious for?_

A sturdy door hung to the doorframe and shelves were lined up against the wall. She was in some sort of storeroom. Wondering if she could overstrain her binds, she jerked her body upward, pulling her hands apart with force. A sharp pain flared on her stomach and she gasped out loud. The involuntary noise echoed inside the tiny room and it wasn't long before Evie, reprimanding herself, heard locks turning.

Lucy Thorne walked in, a broad smirk on her face. Evie growled. Throne chuckled.

"I hope you don't mind. I took upon myself to take off your robes, you won't be needing them for what comes next."

Pushing aside the thought of Lucy Thorne undressing her, Evie replied,

"Afraid to face me on even ground?"

"Yes. Blinded and short-sighted as you might be, I know what you are capable of. I'm not going to take risks, not when it concerns the assassin who took down Starrick. I drugged that little blade, the wound itself wasn't deep, but the sedative was quite powerful though."

"My brother was right there with me. And you can bet he is looking for me already. It won't be long before he finds me. It might be in your best interests to clear out before that happens."

It was an empty threat. Thorne realized it too as she crouched down, eyes level with Evie's.

"I know you are lying. Your brother is in London. You might have broken the English Templars but we still have eyes and ears all over the land. You came here alone and you will die alone as well."

"Keep telling yourself that. When the Assassins get wind of my abduction, they will tear this place apart. Jacob has quite a temper."

"Ah yes. Your twin brother. Honestly Frye, your brother's more of a grunt. He only understands blood and violence. Even if he were here, he'd never find you. You are the strategist, not him."

It was a taunt but Evie recognized the respect in her voice. She was right of course. Jacob was brash and impulsive; he relied on brute force and shock value more than discretion.

 _But Jacob would never have been stabbed like I was._

Thorne was thinking along the same lines and she voiced her thoughts,

"Of course your buffoon of a brother would never have been fooled like you were. How does it feel, Frye? The one thing that made you feel superior to your brother was your meticulousness. And the sight of me stripped you of your one advantage. I really wind you up, don't I?"

A whirlwind of emotions rose inside her. Thorne was right. She did wind her up. The mere sight of her wound her up. Except, what was it about Thorne that set her teeth on edge? Pretending that her heart wasn't racing, she spat at Thorne. The other woman fell backwards, trying to avoid the flying phlegm. Evie felt like a child having a temper tantrum, but still relished the sight of Thorne scrambling to her feet, attempting to look dignified and failing miserably.

She dusted off her robes and stood up straight. She cleared her throat and spoke to Evie as if she were announcing a piece of news.

"When you start acting like your age, we will have a long and painful conversation Miss Frye. Best to steel yourself, the nights get very cold and I doubt your garments will keep you warm enough."

Evie wasn't going to bend to torture. She voiced her thoughts.

"You can torture me all you want, I won't talk."

Thorne turned from the doorway. A wicked grin was pasted across her face. She walked back to her and crouched, whispering into her ear in a seductive voice,

"Who said anything about torture Miss Frye?"

And with that she licked her ear. The feel of her tongue sent jolts of pleasure inside Evie. Even in her confused state, Evie's mind registered something. She acted on it. She shuddered and struggled as Thorne stood up and walked out of the door.

 _She knew. She knew why I hesitated that night inside the Tower of London._

The events that had transpired left her in a daze, pleasure and pain building into frustration. She didn't get to ponder over the bizarre twist of events though. Silver-blood mercenaries entered the room. They untied her bounds and laid her on the cold floor, shackling her to iron manacles. They left immediately, locking the door as they left. Blood rushed to her lower body and the numbness that had begun to creep in due to lack of blood flow began to fade. Feeling returned to her legs and Evie sat up on the cold floor. Her thoughts were jumbled, confused. Lucy Thorne knew about her. Evie had worked so hard to hide her feelings and they had betrayed her.

Thorne would return the next day and she would taunt her more and more, probably torture her despite what she had said and eventually Evie would be worn down. She definitely couldn't stay here. And she wouldn't.

A small smile crept on Evie's face as she spit on the floor, a hair pin clearly visible on the mass of spit. When Thorne had whispered in her ear, Evie had quickly bit into a hairpin and concealed it inside her mouth.

It wasn't long before Evie had picked the locks off the manacles. Quietly, she put on her robes again and scoured the room for weapons. There were none. Finally, Evie settled for a small, flat rock with a jagged edge. A crude weapon, but it would serve her purpose. She crouched behind the door and peeked through the keyhole. She could see two Silver-bloods outside the adjacent room, warming themselves on a fire. She watched patiently for signs of reinforcements but there were none.

For all her claims, Thorne _had_ been arrogant. Two mercenaries, manacles and a door was all that separated the Assassin from freedom. She would pay for her arrogance, Evie decided. She had let her feelings for Henry compromise her mission before; she would not let it happen again. And what Evie felt for Thorne wasn't even close to what she used to feel for Henry. No, this was just attraction.

 _A deep, powerful attraction._

It would pass; she told herself confidently, her inner thoughts conflicting with the statement. Pushing aside her confused thoughts, Evie began to plan her escape.

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 **Not to worry, I don't intend to turn this story into Lesbian Porn. Some steamy scenes might occur but that's about it. Also reviews would be highly appreciated. Tell me what I could do better. Cheers!**


	4. Escape

**A very short chapter that I was inspired to write after a while. Sorry about the delay and I hope you like this one. I just got ideas to continue this story and will post longer chapters soon. Enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated.**

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She would not wait for Thorne. That much as a certainty. But how would she escape? There were only two men guarding her, but they would be wary of tricks. Not to mention they were camped several yards away. Even if she could lure one of them to open the door, the other would be covering the door; they were both well armed and no doubt, professionals. She had a small, jagged rock as a weapon and it was not going to be of much use against guns. No, she needed a different approach.

Try as she might, she could not think of an escape plan. Her talk with Thorne played constantly on her mind even though she was trying her best not to think about it. Her fingers were twirling the jagged piece of rock in her hand when an idea struck her. She squatted in front of the door and plunged a sharp end of the rock into her left arm. It was a flesh wound, but it still hurt like hell. She repeated the process several times over, fighting the pain and reminding herself that she had suffered worse. Blood was oozing out of her self inflicted wounds and she made sure they dripped beside the small gap beneath the door. The pool of crimson began flowing and Evie guided the blood with gentle blows of air. She was beginning to feel lightheaded when she had finally guided all the blood in a steady stream that flowed outside the door. Now all that was left to do was to get the men to notice the blood. One of the man was keeping watch and she grabbed the chains that had held her earlier. She wrapped the chains around her hands and punched the door hard.

The sound registered loudly in the silence of night and she watched with a grin as the long haired man on watch roused his sleeping partner. The men exchanged whispers and Evie readied herself, waiting for the men to take the bait. Soon enough she heard a cry of surprise and she guessed the men had noticed the pool of blood beneath the door. The two men exchanged words in rapid Welsh and from the little Evie understood, the men were debating if they should open the door, since Thorne had strictly instructed that the door shouldn't be opened until she said so. But the men must have wondered if she had tried to kill herself rather than be interrogated. Evie thanked the gods in a silent prayer as the men finally reached the decision to open the door. Her muscles tensed as the chains were unbound and the lock was turned.

A small crack appeared on the door and Evie sprang to action. She kicked the door with all her strength and heard the door collide with Long-hair. The man stumbled backwards, howling in pain as he clutched his nose. She slid out of the door quickly and ducked as Long-hair's partner drew out a revolver clumsily and fired a blind shot. Evie felt the bullet graze her shoulder. Ignoring the pain, she threw the piece of rock at the man's face. It was a small rock and did not deal any damage, but distracted the man for a split second and that was all she had needed. She raised her left arm and blocked the man's right arm before it could train the revolver at her again. The man's legs were exposed and she kicked the right leg with force. The man was lifted of the ground and fell heavily. She picked up the man's gun and smacked his temple with the butt of the gun. The man fell unconscious.

She turned towards Long-hair, who was standing up in a daze. Evie could see that the door's collision had broken his nose. The man reached into his belt and Evie sidestepped as the man's right arm swung at her, a wicked knife glinting on it. She grabbed Long-hair's arm and wrestled the knife from him. She debated briefly if she should simply kill the men. She decided against it however. The man had spoken in Welsh, these were probably locals on a contract. She knocked out Long-hair as well. She dragged both men inside the room and locked the door from the outside.

She adjusted her newly acquired weapons on her robes and planned her next course of action.


	5. Reunion

Evie's weapons were gone. Her blades, short sword and firearms were all gone. Recovering them was essential, those weapons were an extension of her. But she had taken a shot to the shoulder and she checked her wound. Luckily, the bullet had barely grazed her skin. Deciding to dress her wounds soon, she inspected her surroundings. She had no idea where she was. The compound was fairly large and was perched on a cliff. The room she had been locked inside of was an abandoned warehouse of sorts. She could see nothing but snowy mountains on all sides. The tiny village was nowhere to be seen. She wondered if she should find a vantage point and wait for Thorne to show up but decided against it. She had no idea how many men would be escorting her.

There was only one way to go, the compound was placed beside a small, snow laden road. It was a tiny road, barely large enough for a cart or caravan to pass by. She followed the road for a quarter mile or so before she heard the sound of rushing river. There had been a small stream that flowed near the village. Hoping the river split into that stream, Evie followed the river downwards. There wasn't much to see. Occasionally, she would see tiny fishes swimming and foxes drinking water. She must have trekked for an hour and so when she saw the first signs of civilization. A large wooden bridge at least 50 feet above her connected the two cliffs that stood on opposite banks of the river. It was a fairly sturdy bridge, supported by large wooden beams. She scoured the river banks and quickly found a series of hand-holds on the cliff-side. She scaled the cliff and emerged right beside the bridge. Approximately a mile from her location was a camp. She could see several carts headed her way, pulled by powerful horses. She grabbed the ledge of the cliff and hung herself. She waited patiently as four carts laden with stones passed the bridge. She had found the mines the Templars were mining. Dawn was about to break and she used the little darkness that was left to approach the camp unseen. There were several more carts, at least a dozen more were being loaded with more stones. There were six Silver-Blood mercenaries outside, and probably more inside. The men were at ease and very few were armed. She took cover behind a cart and listened to the people closest to her.

"- more men have been brought as Miss Thorne demanded. The payment has arrived as well. Take this safe to the captain's tent. Make sure its padlocked. Miss Thorne retrieved these weapons last night and doesn't want anyone else rifling through it's contents."

A large miner carried a chest and walked slowly through the camp, hailing his friends and nodding to the rest. Evie followed him carefully, making sure that she wasn't discovered by anyone else. That chest most probably had her weapons inside. She waited for the miner to exit the captain's tent and entered it. The chest was locked tight but Evie broke it with ease. Alexander Bell had taught her how modern locks worked and how to break them. She was right. She quickly retrieved her weapons and snatched a letter besides her weapons. She would read it soon enough. She locked the chest again and slid out of the tent. She was about to escape the camp when an almighty explosion occurred inside the mines.

The power of the explosion shook the ground hard and she stumbled. Cries ensued and she heard the sounds of men running towards the mine entrance. Quickly, she scrambled inside the tent and waited as several pairs of feet ran past her. Dawn was breaking already and she knew that she would be easily recognized, but curiosity got the better of her. A small bubble of hope rose in her, hoping that George was making an escape; if George was here. She had barely reached the entrance when a man ran out and collided with her. She was knocked back into the ground in a tangle of limbs. On instinct she snapped her hidden blades outwards and steadied herself, ready to attack.

"Evie?" Jacob's voice was clear as he too sprang out of her immediate range and steadied himself.

"Jacob? Wh- What are you doing here?"

An all to familiar grin split across his face as he stood straight, dusting the snow off his robes.

"Vacationing of course!"

She opened her mouth and he interrupted her.

"Not now Evie, those men are coming after me, well us. We need to get out of here fast."

She shook her head in shock and disbelief. Jacob grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. Following Jacob's lead, the siblings climed on to a nearby carriage and Jacob took the reins. They were off, men were spilling out of the mines and making their way towards he remaining carriages. They gave chase and as danger loomed, Evie's mind began functioning again. Pistol in hand, she returned fire as three carriages came after them. Even as bullets flew all around her, Evie's mind was thinking of Jacob. On any other occasion, she would have rebuked her brother and chastised him for coming after her. Now she felt thankful. Jacob's presence gave her strength and she vowed that as soon as the battle was over, she would tell him how happy she was to see him.


	6. Tumbling in the mountainside

Her initial surprise soon evaporated and it wasn't long before they reverted back to their initial selves. They bickered for a while, though not as much as they used to. Jacob had changed, he was no longer as reckless as before. Dinner consisted of stale bread he had stolen from one of the locals. As she ate in silence, Jacob recounted his tale.

"I did not scale through the mountains. I intercepted a Templar courier and took his disguise. There was a Templar post along the road. The man provided me with a carriage of my own. Told me I needed to get to Lucy Thorne quickly. I thought the carriage would take me straight to her, straight to you."

She nodded between mouthfuls. He took it as cue and continued,

"Anyways, I entered the mines and started asking around. The men told me Thorne had already left. That was a real shame. But the men in the mines must have been on the lookout for anything suspicious, they asked me about a code word. That's when it all went to hell. I reacted first and started shooting- and accidentally hit a crate full of dynamite." he added the last line with a grin.

She swallowed hard and asked,

" But why did you come after me at all? I was perfectly fine."

Anxiety carried across his next words.

"You didn't write back to me. How was I supposed to know you were alright?"

She shook her head slightly and replied,

"But I did write. Every 4 days, just like we agreed. I even paid more at the post office for faster delivery. Did you not get my letters?"

He shook his head. And added sheepishly,

"So I came all this way due to the unreliability of the postal service."

"But I'm glad you did. I was starting to feel more and more desperate and anxious each passing day. I'm glad you're here Jacob."

What followed was a stunned silence. Evie was his sister and of course they loved each other, but they were never quite expressive of their feelings. For the past few years they had become more and more invested in their own pursuits. Evie usually followed up on the precursor artifacts while Jacob preferred to engage his weapons on the Templar order. Very rarely did they have time to catch up.

Evie's heartfelt statement caught him off guard. But he recovered very quickly and reverted to his usual self as he teased her and called her a delicate flower. She relaxed into her normal self as well as they prepared for the night ahead. Jacob had laid out a plan to search for George. They would scout the mercenaries and identify the leaders and captains among the various squadrons. They would then ambush and kidnap the key soldiers and demand information regarding George's whereabouts. Evie preferred more subtle means but she knew time was critical. The two assassins set to work. They chose a high vantage point and began scouting the small patrols that passed by every four minutes.

"They're awfully disciplined aren't they. I say we let them chase us and set up an ambush."

She had to agree with his plan. Still,

"Let's avoid spilling blood if we can."

"Sure."

The plan worked quite well. They both ran with all their might as the men gave chase. They kept running till they reached a heavily wooded area towards the south of the village and disappeared among the trees. The mercs followed suit but without any light or experience, they were soon lost in the heavy woods. The captain himself was followed by 3 mercenaries that kept close watch on him. The twins charged at them from both flanks. The first men falling to well landed punches. Evie moved towards the captain next while Jacob tackled the third mercenary on the ground. The captain offered next to no resistance. He wasn't a very brave man, he cracked almost instantly and started revealing all sorts of information under Jacob's predatory gaze. Knocking him out the twins headed towards the location the captain had given them. The place was a makeshift barrack, just like the one Evie had seen her first night. The place itself was deserted, just like the captain had mentioned.

Investigation revealed that the place had indeed been used as a place to capture someone. So, the man hadn't lied. This was where George had been kept before.

Evie expressed her thoughts to Jacob,

"Perhaps Thorne moved him just to be careful. The mercenary himself said he had been held here last time. But where did she take him next? You think we can track him?"

"Perhaps. But tracking will be futile in this weather. I thought London's weather was depressing until I saw the ever lasting snow here. It'll have covered any tracks."

She pondered over this. There was truth to his words but she wasn't about to be discouraged. George needed their help. She would find them no matter how. There was only one thing that would help her track. She had been practicing with her Eagle Vision for a while and had been making learning new techniques. It was worth a try.

"Have you ever heard about Ezio Auditore's Eagle sensee? Apparently in his older years Ezio could attune his senses to trace the life essence of people in his surrounding."

Jacob looked at her warily. He had never been a fan of this particular skill even though he was quite good at it. He preferred to not believe much in artifacts and enhanced perceptions, despite having dealt with Starrick and the Shroud of Eden a few years back.

"I don't think my senses are that strong. I doubt I could attune my senses to trace the life essence of people around me." He said the last part with a touch of sarcasm.

She ignored his jab and continued,

"Be quiet, let me concentrate. Maybe I can find something."

He sighed heavily and replied,

"By all means, concentrate all night if you have to. I'll scout ahead, maybe we won't need magic eyes to find some solid evidence."

With him gone she began to look at her surroundings with her enhanced sense. She tried to emphasize on what she couldn't quite perceive. Her mind raced back to Edward Kenway's journal that she had pocketed when visiting the Assassin's residence back in London. Kenway described it as ' _using all senses at once_ '. He had gone to say that it was like ' _seeing sounds and hearing shapes_ '. She tried to visualize the things she saw in a higher plane. She guided her eyes to ignore what she saw immediately and instead forced her mind to perceive the details in the air. Scant traces of wispy smoke began to appear before her. Her head felt heavy but she muttered herself to stay strong and with a mental push, she broke the barrier.

She gasped at what she saw. Everything seemed connected. She could see the life flowing through the trees, tiny insects and their life force, wispy smoke and thin shapes that resembled people. She stared at what she saw in awe for a while before she snapped back to senses. Tearing her eyes from the overwhelming amount of input, she focused on the shapes that seemed to dance in the wind. She felt goosebumps rising as she saw an unmistakable silhouette form and break in front of her. She trained her eyes further and saw a path in front of her marked by a thin wispy line of smoke that seemed to float in and out of existence.

Fearing that she would break the concentration, she simply began running blindly, expect she wasn't exactly blind. Her body seemed to have tuned to her senses and it worked on instinct. She avoided obstacles without trying. In the back of her mind, she heard Jacob's voice. She signaled him to follow him and let her senses guide her. She did not know how long it took her to reach the end of the trail but she felt Jacob's hand in her shoulder as she snapped out of her trance.

"Jacob! I did it, I broke through, I-" She stopped shortly as she heard a low moan behind her. A man was lying in the floor, clutching his stomach.

"Who's that?" she asked Jacob who had a dumb founded look on his face.

He stared at her with unease and replied,

"I did. Did you not see me tackle him to the ground?"

"No..." Jacob looked alarmed now. She cut off his words shortly and replied,

"Look I'm just exhausted having used my senses. Can you just ask him? I'm sure the trail ends here. This is where George must have been brought."

Jacob took a few moments to stare at her and addressed the man infront of them.

"The Assassin, the old man who was kept prisoner, where is he? Did you bring him here?"

The man replied in a pain filled voice,

"No...I just started patrol. No one's- no one's been here for a couple hours."

Evie knew her instincts weren't wrong.

"That's impossible, there was a trail here. I'm sure he was brought here. You said no one's been here for hours. Who was the last person to come here?"

"Miss-miss Thorne. She came here today evening... She's gone now though, she seemed eager to get away...she's gone to meet the overseer of the expedition...I swear that's all I know."

Alarms seemed to go off inside her.

 _Is it possible? Have I actually picked up a trail belonging to Lucy Thorne?_

Jacob strode up to the man and delivered a solid kick to the face. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Jacob where are we?"

"Some kind of watch tower. The place seems deserted. What do you think? Think you picked up an older trail? Maybe this guy didn't know George was here, maybe he was brought here in secret. What do you think?"

"Let's inspect the place". Jacob agreed.

Just as they were about to make their way towards the door, it opened from the inside and George Westhouse walked out. Immediately Evie noticed the bloodstains on his robes and his tired eyes. He walked towards them in a peculiar manner and Evie rushed forwards to give him a hand.

"George, are you okay? What happened? How did you get out of -" Her question was cut short as George closed the few steps between them with inhuman speed and it was too late when Evie saw the feral look in his eyes. Something was wrong with him.

On instinct, she brought her hands in a defensive position just as George sliced a knife towards her. Her hands seared with pain as the knife sliced through. Behind her Jacob moved towards George. The older Assassin hurled the knife towards Jacob and Evie heard him scream with pain as he collapsed with pain. Panic overwhelmed her but she dare not look behind. George's hands were already moving at supernatural speed as she saw his left fist flying towards her.

She felt his fist collide on her temple and she was lifted off her legs and fell backwards into the cold snow. Her vision blurred as she felt her temple throb with pain. She rolled feebly to see that Jacob was already getting on his feet again. Even through the pain, she felt a surge of affection for Jacob. The knife had pierced through his arm but it didn't look serious. Jacob blocked George's punch and countered with his own. It seemed to have no effect on him as the man pushed Jacob squarely on his chest. Jacob flew backwards, at least 4 feet before landing on the hard snow. He got back up with effort and slowly moved to face his adversary.

Evie tried to warn him, but failed to produce a sound as she saw George run towards Jacob. He grabbed Jacob from behind. The two men tussled as Evie felt the pain reach breaking point. She tried to make a noise again but failed, she could see the two Assassins were slowly moving towards the cliff.

The last thing she saw was her brother and her former Mentor fall off the cliff, still locked in a deadly tussle. Terror and pain overwhelmed her as she fell unconscious again.


End file.
